This week there were a few articles about new digital initiatives occurring at universities. An article from Campus Technology says that Anaheim University plans to go paperless by 2010 in an effort to “go green”. The University is currently working with publishers to convert its textbooks to e-books for use on the Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle. University spokesman David Bracey commented, "It is not our goal to be the first paperless university. It is our goal to be one of many paperless universities and we hope by setting an example, many universities around the world will join us in becoming sustainable and socially responsible institutions that put people and planet before profit."
Another article indicates that the University of Missouri’s journalism school now requires incoming freshman to purchase an iPhone or iPod Touch to replay lectures. According to Brian Brooks, Associate Dean, “Lectures are the worst possible learning format. There’s been some research done that shows if a student can hear that lecture a second time, they retain three times as much of that lecture.” Other MP3 players could also be used but the Apple devices were chosen because of the number of students that already own the devices and the ability to download the lectures for free via the iTunes Store.
